Hearts Will Play ‘Tippytippytay’
by Yukari Rin
Summary: Written for Azurial for the HanaKimi fic community on livejournal's secret Santa exchange. Nakatsu x Julia


**Title:** "Hearts Will Play 'Tippy-tippy-tay'"  
**Author:** Yukari Rin   
**Fandom:** _Hanazakari no Kimitachi he_  
**Character(s)/Pairing(s):** Nakatsu x Julia  
**Rating:** K+  
**Notes:** For Azurial on livejournal, written for a secret Santa challenge.  
**Spoilers:** Indirect spoilers for the end of the series, but nothing too specific.  
**Word Count:** 976  
**Disclaimer:** _Hanazakari no Kimitachi he_ and related properties belong to Hisaya Nakajo and related parties. The title is taken from the song "That's Amore".

"Hearts Will Play 'Tippy-tippy-tay'"

Nakatsu shifted in his seat and lifted the glass goblet from the table and sighed. He slid his eyes to the right and glanced at the laughing bride a few seats over. The smiling groom was sitting next to him, next to his new wife. Nakatsu threw his head back and finished off the wine in the crystal globe before setting the up back down. He brought his head back down and was met with large blue eyes staring at him intently.

"Enjoy the wine, Nakatsu?" Julia (she's wasn't a witch now, not now that he knew the truth about Mizuki) asked him in Japanese, a smile tugging her lips.

"It's different, but not so bad," He replies in his native tongue, spinning the glass stem slowly between his fingers. Another glance at the bride and groom as they stand and leave the table. The groom nods at him before following his wife around the line of tables draped in white and stepping onto the dance floor. He hears the blonde before him sigh.

"I thought you were done mooning over Mikki, Nakatsu," she continues in Japanese.

"I am," he tells her in his stiff English. "Mostly," he amends in Japanese, furrowing his brows.

Julia lays a thin hand on his and softens her smile. "Come with me," she tells him quietly, lifting his hand and holding it. She walks down the length of the tables and once they are beside each other she brings him to the parquet dance floor. She settles her hands around his shoulders loosely and pokes him when he stands dumbly in front of her. He puts a hand on her waist and takes one of her hands from his shoulder and holds it in the proper form. She rolls her eyes. "We were fine the other way."

"This way is more proper. We may know each other, Julia, but we're not close," he tells her, confused.

"But you're the Best Man and I'm the Maid of Honor, we can pretend to be close, even if it's just for a few hours."

"Each time we've been in each other's company for a few hours, we've never gotten along," he points out.

"So let's start from the beginning. Mikki and Sano did," she replies. "She shakes her head and a wave of blonde hair dances down her back. It's quite pretty, so exotic compared to the usual black he sees at home. "Can we do that?"

"I suppose so. It'd be awkward now to not get along, since we're not competition anymore."

"We never _were_ competition, you know."

"I meant that now that Mizuki's married there's really nothing I can do to get her away from Sano. I know you did all that in the past to annoy me."

"It worked, didn't it?" she laughs.

"Yeah, really well," he returns with a slow smile.

"I never thanked you, did I, Nakatsu?" she uses English for the first time.

"Huh?" his eyebrows shoot up, "Thank me for what?"

"For being there for Mikki," Julia replies, as if it's the most obvious fact in the world. "I thanked Sano, a while back, but I never thanked you because you hated me. You may have been really weird and stupid, but you protected her in your own way from a lot of things. So... thanks."

He shakes his head. "She was - _is_ - a friend. Of course I'd be there for her."  
"But I'm her best friend, and I couldn't. I was so worried about her when she went to Osaka. But I came back home because I knew that between you and Sano, she'd be okay."

Julia's eyes have gotten misty and she ducks her head down, hiding the oncoming tears from him. He lifts the hand from her waist and pulls out the handkerchief in his breast pocket, holding it a few inches under her face. "But it all worked out," he reminds her. "Sano knew all along, and everything they went through only brought them closer together."

"You're right. I know, but..."

"No buts, Julia. You said you came back here because you could trust us. You were right about that."

Her shoulders shake as she chuckles, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief. "When did you learn to sound intelligent?" she teases.

He huffs. "I've always been able to; I just didn't think you were worth it before."

She raises a delicate brow and smirks. "And now?"

"And now we're trying to start over, so it's only polite."

"It wasn't polite before to try and be nice?"

"Before I thought you were some she-devil."

She snorts and looks amused. "I didn't think you were any better, you know." He does, they both know this. "So... may I ask what you think of me now?" Her eyes are still moist; they look almost like glass under the bright lights of the chandelier above them. Her voice carries a hint of curiosity, and is that a touch of hope - he's sure he's mistaken.

"Now... now you're someone that wants the same thing I do," he tells her as the song dies down.

"What's that?" she asks confusion clear on her face. Nakatsu simply smiles and looks over at Sano and Mizuki, the latter still laughing as the former blushing slightly. Mizuki catches his eyes and waves, her content smile speaking volumes as Sano takes her into his arms again.

"For Mizuki to be happy," he tells her, pocketing the handkerchief and stepping back to bow to her. "May I have this dance?" he asks her in English, trying to imitate the English gentlemen from the old movies he had seen.

Julia laughs. "You may."

But when he steps to her this time, his hands rest lightly on her hips, and he doesn't move her hands when they settle around his neck.


End file.
